My Blogs are about My Motherland India and its awesome people, Some are about ups and downs in life as and when I go through them. So read,enjoy and think about them...

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Castes In Hinduism: What was the Original Plan?

All of us are aware of the issues of castes or class in India.. Well from time immemorial these classes have existed in all parts of the world. The caste or class is one of the most misunderstood thing of Hinduism.. But only for those who doesn't read the indepth about Hinduism.

The castes or classes were meant to organized labor division in which the person got the job on his or her skill set.. Like every society needs 4 type of persons to function properly. Someone should be there to teach, someone should be there to defend the land from aggression and maintain order, someone is required to do business and someone is required for serving the society in different ways than above three.

MOST IMPORTANT thing to know is that the castes weren't supposed to be decided on basis of birth, the sole criteria was your Karma and Guna.. Means what u do is the basis of your caste and not from whom you are born.. there is no sanction to casteism on basis of birth in Vedas or Upanishads or Srimad Bhagwat Geeta.. But later on in Dharmashastras like Manusmriti only its been given sanction.. Time in which Manusmriti was written was different and Hinduism is The only Regilion which is adaptive to real circumstances. Manusmriti is not equal to Vedas or Upanishads or Geeta..and we are free to adopt what we want and what dont want. Only some of the vested interests argued and continued castes on the basis of the Birth. Even than no one tried to harm a Kabira or Raidas since logic is been given the supreme importance in Hinduism.

The word Brahmin means one who knows the Brahama or The Supreme.. so in that sense anyone can be a Brahmin.. who has capability to understand the God.. I hope i have been able to convey something for ur understanding here.. May God direct our intellet in right direction.